The broader aim of the sweeping proposal, which was introduced by left-leaning parliamentarian Kartika Liotard of the Netherlands, is to foster gender equality in the EU by combatting gender stereotypes on many fronts. To that end, the opinion recommends a “ban all forms of pornography in the media,” including what it calls “the digital field.”

It also calls for the establishment of regulatory agencies with “a mandate to impose effective sanctions on companies and individuals promoting the sexualisation of girls.”

“The devil is in the detail,” Christian Engstrom, EU parliamentarian from Sweden’s Pirate Party, wrote in his blog. “Although I completely agree that eliminating outdated gender stereotypes in the EU is a worthwhile goal, I will be voting against this resolution next week.”

The wording suggests that while Internet service providers may not be forced to comply with the principles of the report, it could give these companies ‘policing rights’ over their customers, similar to the ‘six-strike’ rule in the U.S. relating to online piracy.

Iceland Interior Minister Ogmundur Jonasson, who is drafting the legislation, maintained that the the larger social problems he claims porn causes outweigh concerns about free speech. Printed pornography and strip clubs are already banned in Iceland.

Last week, an international group of free speech campaigners, activists and academics issued an open letter to Ogmundur condemning the proposed online pornography ban.

“Iceland is a liberal democratic state which should not serve as a role model for Internet censorship,” the letter read, warning that blocking pornographic content online “may create demand for an underground porn industry, unregulated and most certainly affiliated with other illegal activities.”